15 Delicious International Holiday Food Traditions

Many major holidays, like Hanukkah, Christmas, and New Year's Eve, are celebrated in nations across the globe, but food traditions vary from place to place. Find out how people around the world dine during the end of the year's most festive celebrations.

Israel: Latkes

Israel: Latkes

Hanukkah (or Chanukah, also referred to as the "Festival of Lights") is a Jewish holiday that celebrates a miracle documented in the Bible's Old Testament — one night's worth of oil lasted for eight nights. Because of this, many of the foods traditionally eaten during Hanukkah are fried in oil, like the ever-present potato latke, a potato cake fried until golden and crispy. In Israel, latkes are one of many food traditions — fried jelly doughnuts and other rich treats are also served — but potato latkes, sometimes served with applesauce or a similarly sweet topping, are one of the most beloved.

Israel: Sufganiyot

Israel: Sufganiyot

Sufganiyot — fried, jelly-filled doughnuts — are a popular Hanukkah treat in Israel and in Jewish communities around the world. Different countries may call desserts like these by different names (in Russia, ponchik; in Poland, pączki), but wherever they're found, sufganiyot are, like many other foods eaten during the Festival of Lights, deep fried in oil. They are a traditional and thoroughly indulgent holiday dessert.